It’s happened again. A scam has targeted at least one Mount Airy resident, and we suspect more. Not that Mount Airy or Surry County is particularly special in this regard. Most scammers seem to be equal opportunity thieves, willing to take the hard-earned money of anyone who might fall for their schemes.

In the latest such incident, a local woman received a card in the mail saying there were unclaimed prizes for her at both Walmart and Target, all she had to do was call a center, give out a credit card number for the shipping charges, and they would be sent.

Thankfully, according to Mount Airy police, this woman recognized the mailing for what it was and called the police. Had she followed the card’s instructions, she no doubt would have found considerable charges run up on her credit card, or a bank account that had been drained.

It never ceases to amaze us when we see the effort and work some will put into a scam. We wonder if these folks would put the same amount of thought and work into honest labor if they might, in the long run, make more than they do from the scam?

Unfortunately, there seems to be a certain percentage of people who simply do not want to do honest work, even if it has the potential to be more profitable.

That’s why we urge everyone to never give out personal information — social security number, credit card or bank information, even your address — unless it’s to a business or individual you absolutely know to be reputable, no matter what the reason. Remember the old adage, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. We’d add to that it also probably needs to be reported to law enforcement.